Eventually, and it can’t be long now, they’ll run out of ways to repackage Sinatra. We die-hards remember how the material appeared first time around and we find might find it jarring when, as happens on this compilation, a ballad (One For My Baby) is juxtaposed with a bouncer (I’ve Got You Under My Skin), aware, as we are, that the former is from the great ballad album Only The Lonely, and the latter from the equally outstanding swing album Songs For Swingin’ Lovers.
On the other hand, younger generations of Sinatra buffs won’t mind too much – even if they notice – that the 26 titles assembled here comprise nine singles, 14 album tracks and two tracks featured on soundtrack albums of musical films in which Sinatra starred.
Again, purists, pedants or both could argue that titles such as Not As A Stranger, Don’cha Go ’Way Mad and Nice Work If You Can Get It, for example, were not, strictly speaking, hits, and could have been replaced by Three Coins In The Fountain, South Of The Border and Luck Be A Lady, which were.
But in the end we have 26 titles, with a running time of 76 minutes, performed by the finest male vocalist of the 20th century, and that is surely enough for anyone.
Discography
The Lady Is A Tramp; Witchcraft; I’ve Got The World On A String; Don’cha Go ’Way Mad*; Night And Day; All The Way; I Love Paris; Oh! Look At Me Now; Young At Heart; One For My Baby; I’ve Got You Under My Skin; Nice ’N’ Easy; Not As A Stranger; Come Fly With Me**; I Get A Kick Out Of You; How Little It Matters (How Little We Know); At Long Last Love; I Wish I Were In Love Again; In The Still Of The Night***; In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning; The Way You Look Tonight; You Make Me Feel So Young; The Tender Trap; Love Is Here To Stay; Learnin’ The Blues; Nice Work If You Can Get It (77.14)
Sinatra (v) with Nelson Riddle and his orchestra, including Ted Nash, Plas Johnson, Babe Russin, Harry Klee (reeds); Harry “Sweets” Edison, Conrad Gozzo, Pete Candoli, “Shorty” Sherock, Manny Klein, Ray Linn (t); Juan Tizol, Milt Bernhart, Tommy Pederson, Jim Priddy, George Roberts (tb); Vince de Rosa (frh); Bill Miller (p); George Van Eps, Al Hendrickson (g); Joe Comfort (b); Alvin Stoller (d). Except * Neil Hefti and his Orchestra; ** Billy May and his Orchestra; *** Johnny Mandel and his Orchestra. All tracks Hollywood, 1953-1960.
New Continent 648074
